Through Central Borneo An Account Of Two Years' Travel In The Land Of The Head-Hunters Between The Years 1913 And 1917 By Carl Lumholtz
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There Is Some Slight Difference In The Language
Spoken By Those Who Live On The Middle Part, From Kasungan To Bali (South
Of Kuala Samba), And Those Who From Bali Northward Occupy The Rest Of The
Watercourse.
They are termed by the Malays Lower and Upper Katingans.
Those of the first category appeared to be of medium size and inclined to
stoutness; on the upper stretches of the river they are taller.
These and
other differences may be due in a measure to tribal changes brought about
by head-hunting raids. It is known that there was an influx of Ot-Danums
from the Samba on account of such raids. While all Katingans eat snakes
and large lizards, the upper ones do not eat rusa but the lower ones do.
Their total number is estimated to be about 6,000. In 1911-1912 this river
was visited by cholera and smallpox, which reduced the population by 600
and caused the abandonment of some kampongs.
Under favourable circumstances one may travel by prahu to Kuala Samba, our
first goal, in sixteen days, the return journey occupying half that time.
On reaching Kasungan the river was not quite two metres deep, dimming our
chances of proceeding further with the steam-launch. The djuragan put up
his measuring rod on the beach, for unless the water rose he would have to
go one day down stream. The prospect was not pleasing. The under kapala of
the district, a native official whose title for the sake of convenience is
always abbreviated to the "onder," at once exerted himself in search of a
large boat belonging to a Malay trader, supposed to be somewhere in the
neighbourhood, and a young Dutchman who recently had established himself
here as a missionary was willing to rent me his motor-boat to tow it.
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